Attorney general candidates battle with big-name endorsements

Two Republican candidates for Texas attorney general each rolled out high-profile conservative supporters Monday. They’re hoping for an edge in their bid to replace gubernatorial-hopeful Greg Abbott as the state’s top lawyer.

State Sen. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, released an endorsement video featuring former presidential candidate Rick Santorum while Barry Smitherman, chairman of the Railroad Commission, announced the support of Dr. Steve Hotze, a Houston physician and talk show radio host who has bankrolled many of the state’s top Republican leaders.

The endorsements mark each candidate’s first high profile supporter for the race to replace Abbott, who is running for governor.

Santorum gained national conservative notoriety in his failed presidential race in 2012 and Hotze, founder of Conservative Republicans of Texas, has the potential to pump tens of thousands of dollars into a campaign.

“Ken Paxton as a state representative and state senator has a record of standing up, not only to folks on the other side of the aisle, but even standing up to his own party when they wander off the conservative line,” Santorum says in this endorsement video.

“Our conservative values are under attack from the federal government. Time and again, Barry Smitherman has shown he has the backbone to stand up against those attacks, suing Obama’s EPA seven times. I’m asking all Texas conservatives to stand with me in supporting Barry Smitherman for attorney general,” said Hotze in a press release.

State Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, is also running for Attorney General. He put out a list of more than 50 GOP members of the Texas House who are supporting him for AG earlier this month.